On behalf of the Kuki-Zo community, the Kuki Zo Council (KZC) has extended a warm welcome to the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Churachandpur district of Manipur.
The Prime Minister’s visit will be a historic and rare occasion, as it comes nearly four decades after an Indian Prime Minister last visited the district, the KZC said in a statement released on Wednesday.
The KZC stated that the people of the Kuki-Zo community have endured immeasurable hardships over the past years. More than 250 innocent lives have been lost at the hands of the majority Meitei community, over 360 churches and places of worship have been reduced to ashes, more than 7,000 homes have been burned, and over 40,000 of our people continue to live as displaced persons in relief camps, separated from their ancestral homes.
“Whether one likes it or not, the stark reality is that the Kuki-Zo people have been forcibly separated by the actions and aggression of the majority community in Manipur. Despite these grave circumstances, we continue to uphold our faith in the democratic spirit and leadership of India,” said the KZC.
The release stated that for years, the Kuki-Zo community has been voicing its demand for complete separation from Manipur, seeking a separate administration in the form of a Union Territory with a legislature under Article 239A of the Indian Constitution. This demand arises not from convenience, but from a necessity—for peace, security, and the survival of our people, it added.
“We are confident that the Prime Minister will give due recognition to our voice, our pain, and our aspirations. We place our trust in your leadership to heal our wounds, restore our dignity, and safeguard the future of the Kuki-Zo people,” stated the release.
The Hills Journal
K. Salbung, Churachandpur
Manipur-795128
